US poverty on track to post record gain in 2009
By Hope Yen and Liz Sidoti, Associated Press Writers
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2:13 pm ET
WASHINGTON – The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.
Census figures for 2009 — the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency — are to be released in the coming week,
and demographers expect grim findings.
It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake.
The anticipated poverty rate increase — from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent — would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power.
"The most important anti-poverty effort is growing the economy and making sure there are enough jobs out there," Obama said Friday at a White House news conference.
He stressed his commitment to helping the poor achieve middle-class status and said, "If we can grow the economy faster and create more jobs, then everybody is swept up into that virtuous cycle."
[Related: Obama comments on 'painfully slow' economic growth]
Interviews with six demographers who closely track poverty trends found wide consensus that 2009 figures are likely to show a significant rate increase to the range of 14.7 percent to 15 percent.
Should those estimates hold true, some 45 million people in this country, or more than 1 in 7, were poor last year.
It would be the highest single-year increase since the government began calculating poverty figures in 1959. The previous high was
in 1980 when the rate jumped 1.3 percentage points to 13 percent during the energy crisis.
Among the 18-64 working-age population, the demographers expect a rise beyond 12.4 percent, up from 11.7 percent.
That would make it the highest since at least 1965, when another Democratic president, Lyndon B. Johnson, launched the war on poverty that expanded the federal government's role in social welfare programs from education to health care.
Demographers also are confident the report will show:
_Child poverty increased from 19 percent to more than 20 percent.
_Blacks and Latinos were disproportionately hit, based on their higher rates of unemployment.
_Metropolitan areas that posted the largest gains in poverty included Modesto, Calif.; Detroit; Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.; Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
"My guess is that politically these figures will be greeted with alarm and dismay but they won't constitute a clarion call to action," said William Galston, a domestic policy aide for President Bill Clinton.
"I hope the parties don't blame each other for the desperate circumstances of desperate people. That would be wrong in
my opinion. But that's not to say it won't happen."
Lawrence M. Mead, a New York University political science professor who is a conservative and wrote "The New Politics of Poverty: The Nonworking Poor in America," argued that the figures will have a minimal impact in November.
"Poverty is not as big an issue right now as middle-class unemployment. That's a lot more salient politically right now,"
he said.
But if Thursday's report is as troubling as expected, Republicans in the midst of an increasingly strong drive to win control of the House, if not the Senate, would get one more argument to make against Democrats in the campaign homestretch.
The GOP says voters should fire Democrats because Obama's economic fixes are hindering the sluggish economic recovery. Rightly or wrongly, Republicans could cite a higher poverty rate as evidence.
Democrats almost certainly will argue that they shouldn't be blamed. They're likely to counter that the economic woes — and the poverty increase — began under President George W. Bush with the near-collapse of the financial industry in late 2008.
Although that's true, it's far from certain that the Democratic explanation will sway voters who already are trending heavily
toward the GOP in polls as worrisome economic news piles up.
Hispanics and blacks — traditionally solid Democratic constituencies — could be inclined to stay home in November if, as expected, the Census Bureau reports that many more of them were poor last year.
Beyond this fall, the findings could put pressure on Obama to expand government safety net programs ahead of his likely 2012 re-election bid even as Republicans criticize him about federal spending and annual deficits.
Those are areas of concern for independent voters whose support is critical in elections.
Experts say a jump in the poverty rate could mean that the liberal viewpoint — social constraints prevent the poor from working —
will gain steam over the conservative position that the poor have
opportunities to work but choose not to because they get too much help.
"The Great Recession will surely push the poverty rate for working-age people to a nearly 50-year peak," said Elise Gould, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute. She said that means "it's time for a renewed attack on poverty."
To Douglas Besharov, a University of Maryland public policy professor, the big question is whether there's anything more
to do to help these families.
The 2009 forecasts are largely based on historical data and the unemployment rate, which climbed to 10.1 percent last October
to post a record one-year gain.
The projections partly rely on a methodology by Rebecca Blank,
a former poverty expert who now oversees the census.
She estimated last year that poverty would hit about 14.8 percent
if unemployment reached 10 percent. "As long as unemployment is higher, poverty will be higher," she said in an interview then.
A formula by Richard Bavier, a former analyst with the White
House Office of Management and Budget who has had high rates
of accuracy over the last decade, predicts poverty will reach 15 percent. That would put the rate at the highest level since 1993.
The all-time high was 22.4 percent in 1959, the first year the government began tracking poverty. It dropped to a low of 11.1 percent in 1973 after Johnson's war on poverty but has since fluctuated in the 12-14 percent range.
In 2008, the poverty level stood at $22,025 for a family of four, based on an official government calculation that includes only
cash income before tax deductions.
It excludes capital gains or accumulated wealth. It does not
factor in noncash government aid such as tax credits or food
stamps, which have surged to record levels in recent years
under the federal stimulus program.
Beginning next year, the government plans to publish new, supplemental poverty figures that are expected to show even
higher numbers of people in poverty than previously known.
The figures will take into account rising costs of medical care, transportation and child care, a change analysts believe will add
to the ranks of both seniors and working-age people in poverty.
___
Online:
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov
Commerce Department: http://www.commerce.gov/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100911/ap_on_bi_ge/us_poverty
_in_america
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
We Will Never Forget 9/11/2001
ON THAT DAY
It was a normal Tuesday,
or that's what we assumed.
None of us had a clue of
the evil and hatred that loomed.
We went to work and school
the usual carefree bunch;
Having no idea how our lives
would be changed by lunch.
The first crash was an accident
or so we all had thought.
The second crash woke us up
with the reality it brought.
What kind of person would do such
a thing? We didn't have a clue.
Then...they hit the Pentagon and
our nightmares had come true.
In an instant thousands were killed
and thousands more were lost.
Unknowing victims just doing
their jobs, were forced to pay the cost.
People's lives were changed forever
as friends, and loved ones perished.
In mere moments, we lost the thing
that all Americans cherished.
Policemen, Firemen, rescue workers,
rushed into flames at Ground Zero.
Hundreds of them never came back out,
saving others, they died as heroes.
For years we felt we were as secure
as any country could be.
Sadly it took this tragedy for us to finally see.
Now we try to get back to normal,
whatever we think that is.
Bin Laden tried to end our world
but instead he ended his.
He obviously didn't know the strength
that our country had possessed.
Now we seek Infinite Justice...
with this we are obsessed.
We are not alone in our quest.
Others have joined the fight.
Together we will stamp out
all evil in a show of might!
It won't be short, it may take years,
but in the end they'll pay.
Because...
Americans will never forget
what happened ON THAT DAY!
Written by Norman J. Dove, III
"The United States is under attack" was all I could hear
On the radio and TV, now the nation was in fear.
The bystanders looking pointing above their heads
Family members calling in hopes loved ones weren't dead.
Sirens started blaring, cries were certainly heard
"Oh my God" was the consensus of American words.
Tears started pouring as the television showed the world
The second plane hitting, more like it hurled.
Terrorist attacked in hopes to put us in despair
Pearl Harbor is the only attack for US to compare
The tragedy, the lives lost with no remorse.
Al-Quida received our attention from using blunt force.
After what seemed like forever, the towers started to fall.
People started running, the cameras caught it all.
I remember desperate acts of people falling to their death
I sat in my living room crying, just holding my breath.
"How could this happen, I don't understand
Who could be bold enough to touch on our land?"
I couldn't conceive of the actions taking place
I couldn't imagine the people that were lost that couldn't be replaced.
I thought of our Navy and armed forces making things right
But death could reach my life in their retaliating fight.
The city was covered in dust and smoke
It was so bad you could hear the reporters even choke.
The blanket filled the air and Ground Zero slowly emerged
Those that were inside and heroes that went in were now submerged
Under the drywall, concrete, office supplies and parts of planes
Many will have death of a parent and loved one to explain
To children that were left behind on September 11, 2001
The rebuilding of our Nation has now begun.
Family members gathered, loved ones soon came
To Ground Zero wishing to some how reclaim
That morning, that afternoon, all those days to follow
All the events of America were very hard to swallow.
But we got together and lit a candle, strength in the flame
We stood together with one thing to proclaim
The US isn't falling, we will stand our ground
And when you awoke the next morning patriotism was found.
Flags were flying high on houses across the states
In cars, on buses, on clothes, on anything we could create.
The building may have fallen, but the foundation didn't break
Those that attacked us soon found that mistake.
We as a nation stood as one on that tragic day
And that is how we as a Nation should stay.
To the families, loved ones, and lost... your memory will
never depart.
You touched the Nation, and will remain in our hearts.
By Rachel L. Cobb
We're all different, we're all told,
Some have pennies, some have gold.
Our country was changed by the crash of a plane,
And one man's evil plot to cause damage and pain.
The effect on us was the loss of life,
And many heroes who were sacrificed.
But this helped us to unite,
And kept the light of liberty shining bright.
by: Rikki K
Heroes
As the planes hit the towers
the sirens turned the corner.
Our officers acted so quickly
with a keen sense of honor.
These heroes reacted without fear,
as they searched and climbed the stairs.
Our firefighters, officers, and volunteers,
helped shape a nation that cares.
Without men and women with such character,
our future as a country is bleak.
But with citizens of strength and courage,
America will never be weak.
(author unknown)
As americans we should take a stand,
and replenish what has been taken from our home land.
We saw this happen before our eyes,
all because of terrorists in disguise.
we never thought we'd see the day,
the twin towers would perish away.
That day they did and so many more,
and we never even thought they'd collapse to the floor.
Well, we were wrong, but now we have our turn,
to rebuild our lives, these terrorists will learn.
To this day, 9/11 has been a solemn time,
as nobody could believe why anyone would commit this crime.
From here on out we will remember this day,
and never let the thoughts of our heroes slip away.
As americans we will never forget, we will remember,
yeah we will remember forever.
(author unknown)
WE REMEMBER
We remember the shock
We remember the pain
We remember it all
The towers, the planes
We remember our anger
Our need to lash out
We all wanted justice
Without any doubt
We remember the hope
That more would be found
Buried in the wreckage
Where those buildings came down
We remember the people
Referred to as heroes
All the ones who saved lives
Or died at ground zero
We will never forget
We will always remember
When america changed
That day in september
By Richard J. Beck
Roanoke, VA
About 9/11 I could not believe
the cowardess attack the people received
The odasity to use american made planes
But through it all God's love still reigns
Every time we continue to be thankful
and use the time left to be helpful
This may have occurred on American Soil
Everywhere now it seems even more a Goal
To bless the memory of those who willingly did their part
I am a Canadian whose September 11 neighbours are on my heart.
So taking their example I will help whenever I can
by being of service to my fellowman.
Then even though death comes in haste
the memory of the "finest" will not be a waste.
By Julie Savard
It came so fast, nobody knew
What to say and what to do
Waiting for an answer took too long
As friends and families tried to stay strong
The towers fell as did our tears
We all dealt with our biggest fears
Losing friends and family
Someone who was so close to me
If my uncle was here he would say don't cry
If only I had a chance to say goodbye
I love him so much and will remember this day
To end this off I have to say
September 11th will stay with us forever
and you will see them again, so never say never.
By Dana Mantello
LIFE GOES ON
Thousands of us lost a loved one, family member or friend
And at that moment some of us felt it was the end.
I've lost loved ones before so I know the pain you feel
At first you feel like you're in shock
And none of this is real.
You sit and try to think of the last words that you said
Memories of times both good and bad go flashing in your head.
If there were a warning it would be easier to bear
But in just an instant, dust clouds filled the air.
Mounds of rubble came crashing down; piles of concrete and glass
City streets once full of life were now impossible to pass.
In days to come we searched for survivors
Praying some were found.
The debris of 200 stories was removed slowly
Pound by pound.
Instantly people began to search for family and friends
Photos of loved ones covered the streets of the city
From end to end.
Some gave numbers and addresses others told a story of life.
Of what these people meant to their
Mother, brother or wife.
It's a hard time to get through realizing they're gone
Together we can move past this and see that
LIFE GOES ON.
Written By Norman J. Dove III
http://www.9-11heroes.us/911-poems.php
It was a normal Tuesday,
or that's what we assumed.
None of us had a clue of
the evil and hatred that loomed.
We went to work and school
the usual carefree bunch;
Having no idea how our lives
would be changed by lunch.
The first crash was an accident
or so we all had thought.
The second crash woke us up
with the reality it brought.
What kind of person would do such
a thing? We didn't have a clue.
Then...they hit the Pentagon and
our nightmares had come true.
In an instant thousands were killed
and thousands more were lost.
Unknowing victims just doing
their jobs, were forced to pay the cost.
People's lives were changed forever
as friends, and loved ones perished.
In mere moments, we lost the thing
that all Americans cherished.
Policemen, Firemen, rescue workers,
rushed into flames at Ground Zero.
Hundreds of them never came back out,
saving others, they died as heroes.
For years we felt we were as secure
as any country could be.
Sadly it took this tragedy for us to finally see.
Now we try to get back to normal,
whatever we think that is.
Bin Laden tried to end our world
but instead he ended his.
He obviously didn't know the strength
that our country had possessed.
Now we seek Infinite Justice...
with this we are obsessed.
We are not alone in our quest.
Others have joined the fight.
Together we will stamp out
all evil in a show of might!
It won't be short, it may take years,
but in the end they'll pay.
Because...
Americans will never forget
what happened ON THAT DAY!
Written by Norman J. Dove, III
"The United States is under attack" was all I could hear
On the radio and TV, now the nation was in fear.
The bystanders looking pointing above their heads
Family members calling in hopes loved ones weren't dead.
Sirens started blaring, cries were certainly heard
"Oh my God" was the consensus of American words.
Tears started pouring as the television showed the world
The second plane hitting, more like it hurled.
Terrorist attacked in hopes to put us in despair
Pearl Harbor is the only attack for US to compare
The tragedy, the lives lost with no remorse.
Al-Quida received our attention from using blunt force.
After what seemed like forever, the towers started to fall.
People started running, the cameras caught it all.
I remember desperate acts of people falling to their death
I sat in my living room crying, just holding my breath.
"How could this happen, I don't understand
Who could be bold enough to touch on our land?"
I couldn't conceive of the actions taking place
I couldn't imagine the people that were lost that couldn't be replaced.
I thought of our Navy and armed forces making things right
But death could reach my life in their retaliating fight.
The city was covered in dust and smoke
It was so bad you could hear the reporters even choke.
The blanket filled the air and Ground Zero slowly emerged
Those that were inside and heroes that went in were now submerged
Under the drywall, concrete, office supplies and parts of planes
Many will have death of a parent and loved one to explain
To children that were left behind on September 11, 2001
The rebuilding of our Nation has now begun.
Family members gathered, loved ones soon came
To Ground Zero wishing to some how reclaim
That morning, that afternoon, all those days to follow
All the events of America were very hard to swallow.
But we got together and lit a candle, strength in the flame
We stood together with one thing to proclaim
The US isn't falling, we will stand our ground
And when you awoke the next morning patriotism was found.
Flags were flying high on houses across the states
In cars, on buses, on clothes, on anything we could create.
The building may have fallen, but the foundation didn't break
Those that attacked us soon found that mistake.
We as a nation stood as one on that tragic day
And that is how we as a Nation should stay.
To the families, loved ones, and lost... your memory will
never depart.
You touched the Nation, and will remain in our hearts.
By Rachel L. Cobb
We're all different, we're all told,
Some have pennies, some have gold.
Our country was changed by the crash of a plane,
And one man's evil plot to cause damage and pain.
The effect on us was the loss of life,
And many heroes who were sacrificed.
But this helped us to unite,
And kept the light of liberty shining bright.
by: Rikki K
Heroes
As the planes hit the towers
the sirens turned the corner.
Our officers acted so quickly
with a keen sense of honor.
These heroes reacted without fear,
as they searched and climbed the stairs.
Our firefighters, officers, and volunteers,
helped shape a nation that cares.
Without men and women with such character,
our future as a country is bleak.
But with citizens of strength and courage,
America will never be weak.
(author unknown)
As americans we should take a stand,
and replenish what has been taken from our home land.
We saw this happen before our eyes,
all because of terrorists in disguise.
we never thought we'd see the day,
the twin towers would perish away.
That day they did and so many more,
and we never even thought they'd collapse to the floor.
Well, we were wrong, but now we have our turn,
to rebuild our lives, these terrorists will learn.
To this day, 9/11 has been a solemn time,
as nobody could believe why anyone would commit this crime.
From here on out we will remember this day,
and never let the thoughts of our heroes slip away.
As americans we will never forget, we will remember,
yeah we will remember forever.
(author unknown)
WE REMEMBER
We remember the shock
We remember the pain
We remember it all
The towers, the planes
We remember our anger
Our need to lash out
We all wanted justice
Without any doubt
We remember the hope
That more would be found
Buried in the wreckage
Where those buildings came down
We remember the people
Referred to as heroes
All the ones who saved lives
Or died at ground zero
We will never forget
We will always remember
When america changed
That day in september
By Richard J. Beck
Roanoke, VA
About 9/11 I could not believe
the cowardess attack the people received
The odasity to use american made planes
But through it all God's love still reigns
Every time we continue to be thankful
and use the time left to be helpful
This may have occurred on American Soil
Everywhere now it seems even more a Goal
To bless the memory of those who willingly did their part
I am a Canadian whose September 11 neighbours are on my heart.
So taking their example I will help whenever I can
by being of service to my fellowman.
Then even though death comes in haste
the memory of the "finest" will not be a waste.
By Julie Savard
It came so fast, nobody knew
What to say and what to do
Waiting for an answer took too long
As friends and families tried to stay strong
The towers fell as did our tears
We all dealt with our biggest fears
Losing friends and family
Someone who was so close to me
If my uncle was here he would say don't cry
If only I had a chance to say goodbye
I love him so much and will remember this day
To end this off I have to say
September 11th will stay with us forever
and you will see them again, so never say never.
By Dana Mantello
LIFE GOES ON
Thousands of us lost a loved one, family member or friend
And at that moment some of us felt it was the end.
I've lost loved ones before so I know the pain you feel
At first you feel like you're in shock
And none of this is real.
You sit and try to think of the last words that you said
Memories of times both good and bad go flashing in your head.
If there were a warning it would be easier to bear
But in just an instant, dust clouds filled the air.
Mounds of rubble came crashing down; piles of concrete and glass
City streets once full of life were now impossible to pass.
In days to come we searched for survivors
Praying some were found.
The debris of 200 stories was removed slowly
Pound by pound.
Instantly people began to search for family and friends
Photos of loved ones covered the streets of the city
From end to end.
Some gave numbers and addresses others told a story of life.
Of what these people meant to their
Mother, brother or wife.
It's a hard time to get through realizing they're gone
Together we can move past this and see that
LIFE GOES ON.
Written By Norman J. Dove III
http://www.9-11heroes.us/911-poems.php
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Whatever Happened to Obama's Army?
Whatever Happened to Obama's Army?
By Jay Newton-Small
Thursday, Sep. 09, 2010
What happened to Barack Obama's once vaunted political machine?
The outfit that put upwards of 8 million volunteers on the street in 2008 - known as Organizing for America - is a ghost of its former self. Its staff has shrunk from 6,000 to 300, and its donors are depressed: receipts are a fraction of what they were in 2008.
Virtually no one in politics believes it will turn many contests this fall. "There's no chance that OFA is going to have the slightest impact on the midterms," says Charlie Cook, who tracks congressional races.
Neglect is to blame.
After Obama was elected, his political aides ignored the army he
had created until it eventually disappeared. No one was in charge; decisions were often deferred but rarely made.
By the time they realized they needed more troops, says longtime consultant Joe Trippi, "their supporters had taken a vacation from politics." (See Mark Halperin's take on the coming Republican tsunami.)
So earlier this year, when the White House gave OFA a whopping $30 million - more than half of the party's entire budget for 2010 - senior Democrats suspected a hidden agenda.
Several tell Time that OFA boss David Plouffe, who ran Obama's 2008 campaign, is using the cash to rebuild an army for 2012
under the cover of boosting turnout in 2010.
OFA is putting staff into such states as Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona, which have few close statewide races this fall but which are all prime targets in an Obama re-election campaign. "This is totally about 2012," Cook says. (See how Obama became Mr. Unpopular.)
Plouffe denies the charge. "I couldn't object more strongly," he says. Plouffe notes that OFA volunteers knocked on 200,000 doors in late August - an impressive number, but only a tenth of what it could do in 2008.
Not even sorcery may be able to rekindle the excitement many first-time voters showed back then. "The popularity of the President with these voters is not a transferable asset," says Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist.
"I don't think it's realistic that they would ever be able to replicate the unbridled enthusiasm. It's like a first kiss: you can never experience it twice."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599201697300
By Jay Newton-Small
Thursday, Sep. 09, 2010
What happened to Barack Obama's once vaunted political machine?
The outfit that put upwards of 8 million volunteers on the street in 2008 - known as Organizing for America - is a ghost of its former self. Its staff has shrunk from 6,000 to 300, and its donors are depressed: receipts are a fraction of what they were in 2008.
Virtually no one in politics believes it will turn many contests this fall. "There's no chance that OFA is going to have the slightest impact on the midterms," says Charlie Cook, who tracks congressional races.
Neglect is to blame.
After Obama was elected, his political aides ignored the army he
had created until it eventually disappeared. No one was in charge; decisions were often deferred but rarely made.
By the time they realized they needed more troops, says longtime consultant Joe Trippi, "their supporters had taken a vacation from politics." (See Mark Halperin's take on the coming Republican tsunami.)
So earlier this year, when the White House gave OFA a whopping $30 million - more than half of the party's entire budget for 2010 - senior Democrats suspected a hidden agenda.
Several tell Time that OFA boss David Plouffe, who ran Obama's 2008 campaign, is using the cash to rebuild an army for 2012
under the cover of boosting turnout in 2010.
OFA is putting staff into such states as Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona, which have few close statewide races this fall but which are all prime targets in an Obama re-election campaign. "This is totally about 2012," Cook says. (See how Obama became Mr. Unpopular.)
Plouffe denies the charge. "I couldn't object more strongly," he says. Plouffe notes that OFA volunteers knocked on 200,000 doors in late August - an impressive number, but only a tenth of what it could do in 2008.
Not even sorcery may be able to rekindle the excitement many first-time voters showed back then. "The popularity of the President with these voters is not a transferable asset," says Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist.
"I don't think it's realistic that they would ever be able to replicate the unbridled enthusiasm. It's like a first kiss: you can never experience it twice."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599201697300
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Law of Change
Even America's liberal elites concede
that Obama's Presidency is crumbling
By Nile Gardiner
Last updated: September 8th, 2010
Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether
this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party.
They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster.
The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of
picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House.
Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer
than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.
Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the
Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back
the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without
the Senate following suit.
Is this a piece from National Review, The Weekly Standard, The
Wall Street Journal or Fox News.com, all major conservative news outlets in the United States? No.
It’s a direct quote from yesterday’s Washington Post, usually
viewed by conservatives as a flagship of the liberal establishment inside the Beltway.
The fact The Post is reporting that not only could Republicans
sweep the House of Representatives this November, but may
even take the Senate as well, is a reflection of just how far the mainstream, overwhelmingly left-of-centre US media has moved
in the last month towards acknowledging the scale of the crisis facing the White House.
To its credit, The Washington Post has generally been ahead of
the curve compared to its main competitors such as The New York
Times in reporting President Obama’s travails, but its striking
front page coverage of the “Democrats’ plight” and talk of a
possible GOP Senate win (regarded as fantasy just a fortnight ago)
was a bold step for a publication that is probably read in every
office of the Obama administration.
The Post also ran another headline yesterday on its front page – “Republicans making gains ahead of midterm elections” – which would undoubtedly have sent a shudder through the White House.
It carried a new poll commissioned jointly with ABC News,
which showed public faith in Barack Obama’s leadership has
fallen to an all-time low, with just 46 percent approval.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey revealed high levels
of public unease with President Obama’s handling of the
economy, with 57 percent of Americans disapproving, and
58 percent critical of his handling of the deficit.
For most of the year, America’s political and media elites,
including the Obama team itself, have touted the notion of
an economic recovery (which never materialised), significantly underestimated the rise of the Tea Party movement, and
questioned the notion that conservatism was sweeping America.
It is only now hitting home just how close Washington is to experiencing a political revolution in November that will fundamentally change the political landscape on Capitol Hill,
with huge implications for the Obama presidency.
What was once a perspective confined largely to Fox News, online conservative news sites, or talk radio is now gaining ground in the liberal US print media as well – historic change is coming to America, though not quite the version promised by Barack Obama.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100052779/even-a
mericas-liberal-elites-concede-that-obamas-presidency-is-crumbling/
that Obama's Presidency is crumbling
By Nile Gardiner
Last updated: September 8th, 2010
Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether
this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party.
They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster.
The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of
picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House.
Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer
than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.
Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the
Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back
the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without
the Senate following suit.
Is this a piece from National Review, The Weekly Standard, The
Wall Street Journal or Fox News.com, all major conservative news outlets in the United States? No.
It’s a direct quote from yesterday’s Washington Post, usually
viewed by conservatives as a flagship of the liberal establishment inside the Beltway.
The fact The Post is reporting that not only could Republicans
sweep the House of Representatives this November, but may
even take the Senate as well, is a reflection of just how far the mainstream, overwhelmingly left-of-centre US media has moved
in the last month towards acknowledging the scale of the crisis facing the White House.
To its credit, The Washington Post has generally been ahead of
the curve compared to its main competitors such as The New York
Times in reporting President Obama’s travails, but its striking
front page coverage of the “Democrats’ plight” and talk of a
possible GOP Senate win (regarded as fantasy just a fortnight ago)
was a bold step for a publication that is probably read in every
office of the Obama administration.
The Post also ran another headline yesterday on its front page – “Republicans making gains ahead of midterm elections” – which would undoubtedly have sent a shudder through the White House.
It carried a new poll commissioned jointly with ABC News,
which showed public faith in Barack Obama’s leadership has
fallen to an all-time low, with just 46 percent approval.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey revealed high levels
of public unease with President Obama’s handling of the
economy, with 57 percent of Americans disapproving, and
58 percent critical of his handling of the deficit.
For most of the year, America’s political and media elites,
including the Obama team itself, have touted the notion of
an economic recovery (which never materialised), significantly underestimated the rise of the Tea Party movement, and
questioned the notion that conservatism was sweeping America.
It is only now hitting home just how close Washington is to experiencing a political revolution in November that will fundamentally change the political landscape on Capitol Hill,
with huge implications for the Obama presidency.
What was once a perspective confined largely to Fox News, online conservative news sites, or talk radio is now gaining ground in the liberal US print media as well – historic change is coming to America, though not quite the version promised by Barack Obama.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100052779/even-a
mericas-liberal-elites-concede-that-obamas-presidency-is-crumbling/
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction
Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction
By Chris Hedges
Posted on Jan 25, 2010
Corporate forces, long before the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, carried out a
coup d’état in slow motion. The coup is over. We lost.
The ruling is one more judicial effort to streamline mechanisms for corporate control. It exposes the myth of a functioning democracy and the triumph of corporate power. But it does not significantly alter the political landscape.
The corporate state is firmly cemented in place.
The fiction of democracy remains useful, not only for corporations, but for our bankrupt liberal class. If the fiction is seriously challenged, liberals will be forced to consider actual resistance, which will be neither pleasant nor easy.
As long as a democratic facade exists, liberals can engage in an empty moral posturing that requires little sacrifice or commitment.
They can be the self-appointed scolds of the Democratic Party, acting as if they are part of the debate and feel vindicated by their cries of protest.
Much of the outrage expressed about the court’s ruling is the outrage of those who prefer this choreographed charade. As long as the charade is played, they do not have to consider how to combat what the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin calls our system of “inverted totalitarianism.”
Inverted totalitarianism represents “the political coming of age of corporate power and the political demobilization of the citizenry,” Wolin writes in “Democracy Incorporated.”
Inverted totalitarianism differs from classical forms of totalitarianism, which revolve around a demagogue or charismatic leader, and finds its expression in the anonymity of the corporate state.
The corporate forces behind inverted totalitarianism do not, as classical totalitarian movements do, boast of replacing decaying structures with a new, revolutionary structure. They purport to
honor electoral politics, freedom and the Constitution. But they so corrupt and manipulate the levers of power as to make democracy impossible.
Inverted totalitarianism is not conceptualized as an ideology or objectified in public policy. It is furthered by “power-holders and citizens who often seem unaware of the deeper consequences of their actions or inactions,” Wolin writes. But it is as dangerous as classical forms of totalitarianism.
In a system of inverted totalitarianism, as this court ruling illustrates, it is not necessary to rewrite the Constitution, as fascist and communist regimes do. It is enough to exploit legitimate power by means of judicial and legislative interpretation.
This exploitation ensures that huge corporate campaign contributions are protected speech under the First Amendment.
It ensures that heavily financed and organized lobbying by large corporations is interpreted as an application of the people’s right
to petition the government.
The court again ratified the concept that corporations are persons, except in those cases where the “persons” agree to a “settlement.”
Those within corporations who commit crimes can avoid going to prison by paying large sums of money to the government while, according to this twisted judicial reasoning, not “admitting any wrongdoing.”
There is a word for this. It is called corruption.
Corporations have 35,000 lobbyists in Washington and thousands more in state capitals that dole out corporate money to shape and write legislation. They use their political action committees to solicit employees and shareholders for donations to fund pliable candidates.
The financial sector, for example, spent more than $5 billion on political campaigns, influence peddling and lobbying during the past decade, which resulted in sweeping deregulation, the gouging of consumers, our global financial meltdown and the subsequent looting of the U.S. Treasury.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $26 million last year and drug companies such as Pfizer, Amgen and Eli Lilly kicked in tens of millions more to buy off the two parties. These corporations have made sure our so-called health reform bill will force us to buy their predatory and defective products.
The oil and gas industry, the coal industry, defense contractors and telecommunications companies have thwarted the drive for sustainable energy and orchestrated the steady erosion of civil liberties. Politicians do corporate bidding and stage hollow acts of political theater to keep the fiction of the democratic state alive.
There is no national institution left that can accurately be described as democratic. Citizens, rather than participate in power, are allowed to have virtual opinions to preordained questions, a kind of participatory fascism as meaningless as voting on “American Idol.”
Mass emotions are directed toward the raging culture wars. This allows us to take emotional stands on issues that are inconsequential to the power elite.
Our transformation into an empire, as happened in ancient Athens and Rome, has seen the tyranny we practice abroad become the tyranny we practice at home. We, like all empires, have been eviscerated by our own expansionism.
We utilize weapons of horrific destructive power, subsidize their development with billions in taxpayer dollars, and are the world’s largest arms dealer.
And the Constitution, as Wolin notes, is “conscripted to serve as power’s apprentice rather than its conscience.”
(Page 2)
“Inverted totalitarianism reverses things,” Wolin writes.
“It is politics all of the time but a politics largely untempered by the political. Party squabbles are occasionally on public display, and there is a frantic and continuous politics among factions of the party, interest groups, competing corporate powers, and rival media concerns. And there is, of course, the culminating moment of national elections when the attention of the nation is required to make a choice of personalities rather than a choice between alternatives. What is absent is the political, the commitment to finding where the common good lies amidst the welter of well-financed, highly organized, single-minded interests rabidly seeking governmental favors and overwhelming the practices of representative government and public administration by a sea of cash.”
Hollywood, the news industry and television, all corporate controlled, have become instruments of inverted totalitarianism. They censor
or ridicule those who critique or challenge corporate structures and assumptions.
They saturate the airwaves with manufactured controversy, whether it's Tiger Woods or the dispute between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.
They manipulate images to make us confuse how we are made to feel with knowledge, which is how Barack Obama became president.
And the draconian internal control employed by the Department of Homeland Security, the military and the police over any form of popular dissent, coupled with the corporate media’s censorship, does for inverted totalitarianism what thugs and bonfires of books do in classical totalitarian regimes.
“It seems a replay of historical experience that the bias displayed by today’s media should be aimed consistently at the shredded remains of liberalism,” Wolin writes.
“Recall that an element common to most 20th century totalitarianism, whether Fascist or Stalinist, was hostility towards the left. In the United States, the left is assumed to consist solely
of liberals, occasionally of ‘the left wing of the Democratic Party,’ never of democrats.”
Liberals, socialists, trade unionists, independent journalists and intellectuals, many of whom were once important voices in our society, have been silenced or targeted for elimination within corporate-controlled academia, the media and government.
Wolin, who taught at Berkeley and later at Princeton, is arguably
the country’s foremost political philosopher. And yet his book was virtually ignored.
This is also why Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich and Cynthia McKinney, along with intellectuals like Noam Chomsky, are not given a part in our national discourse.
The uniformity of opinion is reinforced by the skillfully orchestrated
mass emotions of nationalism and patriotism, which paints all dissidents as “soft” or “unpatriotic.”
The “patriotic” citizen, plagued by fear of job losses and possible terrorist attacks, unfailingly supports widespread surveillance and the militarized state. This means no questioning of the $1 trillion
in defense-related spending.
It means that the military and intelligence agencies are held above government, as if somehow they are not part of government. The most powerful instruments of state power and control are effectively removed from public discussion.
We, as imperial citizens, are taught to be contemptuous of government bureaucracy, yet we stand like sheep before Homeland Security agents in airports and are mute when Congress permits our private correspondence and conversations to be monitored and archived.
We endure more state control than at any time in American history.
The civic, patriotic and political language we use to describe ourselves remains unchanged. We pay fealty to the same national symbols and iconography. We find our collective identity in the
same national myths. We continue to deify the Founding Fathers.
But the America we celebrate is an illusion. It does not exist.
Our government and judiciary have no real sovereignty. Our
press provides diversion, not information. Our organs of security
and power keep us as domesticated and as fearful as most Iraqis.
Capitalism, as Karl Marx understood, when it emasculates government, becomes a revolutionary force.
And this revolutionary force, best described as inverted totalitarianism, is plunging us into a state of neo-feudalism, perpetual war and severe repression.
The Supreme Court decision is part of our transformation by
the corporate state from citizens to prisoners.
Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent, writes
a column published every Monday on Truthdig. His latest book is “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.”
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/democracy_in_america
_is_a_useful_fiction_20100124/
By Chris Hedges
Posted on Jan 25, 2010
Corporate forces, long before the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, carried out a
coup d’état in slow motion. The coup is over. We lost.
The ruling is one more judicial effort to streamline mechanisms for corporate control. It exposes the myth of a functioning democracy and the triumph of corporate power. But it does not significantly alter the political landscape.
The corporate state is firmly cemented in place.
The fiction of democracy remains useful, not only for corporations, but for our bankrupt liberal class. If the fiction is seriously challenged, liberals will be forced to consider actual resistance, which will be neither pleasant nor easy.
As long as a democratic facade exists, liberals can engage in an empty moral posturing that requires little sacrifice or commitment.
They can be the self-appointed scolds of the Democratic Party, acting as if they are part of the debate and feel vindicated by their cries of protest.
Much of the outrage expressed about the court’s ruling is the outrage of those who prefer this choreographed charade. As long as the charade is played, they do not have to consider how to combat what the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin calls our system of “inverted totalitarianism.”
Inverted totalitarianism represents “the political coming of age of corporate power and the political demobilization of the citizenry,” Wolin writes in “Democracy Incorporated.”
Inverted totalitarianism differs from classical forms of totalitarianism, which revolve around a demagogue or charismatic leader, and finds its expression in the anonymity of the corporate state.
The corporate forces behind inverted totalitarianism do not, as classical totalitarian movements do, boast of replacing decaying structures with a new, revolutionary structure. They purport to
honor electoral politics, freedom and the Constitution. But they so corrupt and manipulate the levers of power as to make democracy impossible.
Inverted totalitarianism is not conceptualized as an ideology or objectified in public policy. It is furthered by “power-holders and citizens who often seem unaware of the deeper consequences of their actions or inactions,” Wolin writes. But it is as dangerous as classical forms of totalitarianism.
In a system of inverted totalitarianism, as this court ruling illustrates, it is not necessary to rewrite the Constitution, as fascist and communist regimes do. It is enough to exploit legitimate power by means of judicial and legislative interpretation.
This exploitation ensures that huge corporate campaign contributions are protected speech under the First Amendment.
It ensures that heavily financed and organized lobbying by large corporations is interpreted as an application of the people’s right
to petition the government.
The court again ratified the concept that corporations are persons, except in those cases where the “persons” agree to a “settlement.”
Those within corporations who commit crimes can avoid going to prison by paying large sums of money to the government while, according to this twisted judicial reasoning, not “admitting any wrongdoing.”
There is a word for this. It is called corruption.
Corporations have 35,000 lobbyists in Washington and thousands more in state capitals that dole out corporate money to shape and write legislation. They use their political action committees to solicit employees and shareholders for donations to fund pliable candidates.
The financial sector, for example, spent more than $5 billion on political campaigns, influence peddling and lobbying during the past decade, which resulted in sweeping deregulation, the gouging of consumers, our global financial meltdown and the subsequent looting of the U.S. Treasury.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $26 million last year and drug companies such as Pfizer, Amgen and Eli Lilly kicked in tens of millions more to buy off the two parties. These corporations have made sure our so-called health reform bill will force us to buy their predatory and defective products.
The oil and gas industry, the coal industry, defense contractors and telecommunications companies have thwarted the drive for sustainable energy and orchestrated the steady erosion of civil liberties. Politicians do corporate bidding and stage hollow acts of political theater to keep the fiction of the democratic state alive.
There is no national institution left that can accurately be described as democratic. Citizens, rather than participate in power, are allowed to have virtual opinions to preordained questions, a kind of participatory fascism as meaningless as voting on “American Idol.”
Mass emotions are directed toward the raging culture wars. This allows us to take emotional stands on issues that are inconsequential to the power elite.
Our transformation into an empire, as happened in ancient Athens and Rome, has seen the tyranny we practice abroad become the tyranny we practice at home. We, like all empires, have been eviscerated by our own expansionism.
We utilize weapons of horrific destructive power, subsidize their development with billions in taxpayer dollars, and are the world’s largest arms dealer.
And the Constitution, as Wolin notes, is “conscripted to serve as power’s apprentice rather than its conscience.”
(Page 2)
“Inverted totalitarianism reverses things,” Wolin writes.
“It is politics all of the time but a politics largely untempered by the political. Party squabbles are occasionally on public display, and there is a frantic and continuous politics among factions of the party, interest groups, competing corporate powers, and rival media concerns. And there is, of course, the culminating moment of national elections when the attention of the nation is required to make a choice of personalities rather than a choice between alternatives. What is absent is the political, the commitment to finding where the common good lies amidst the welter of well-financed, highly organized, single-minded interests rabidly seeking governmental favors and overwhelming the practices of representative government and public administration by a sea of cash.”
Hollywood, the news industry and television, all corporate controlled, have become instruments of inverted totalitarianism. They censor
or ridicule those who critique or challenge corporate structures and assumptions.
They saturate the airwaves with manufactured controversy, whether it's Tiger Woods or the dispute between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.
They manipulate images to make us confuse how we are made to feel with knowledge, which is how Barack Obama became president.
And the draconian internal control employed by the Department of Homeland Security, the military and the police over any form of popular dissent, coupled with the corporate media’s censorship, does for inverted totalitarianism what thugs and bonfires of books do in classical totalitarian regimes.
“It seems a replay of historical experience that the bias displayed by today’s media should be aimed consistently at the shredded remains of liberalism,” Wolin writes.
“Recall that an element common to most 20th century totalitarianism, whether Fascist or Stalinist, was hostility towards the left. In the United States, the left is assumed to consist solely
of liberals, occasionally of ‘the left wing of the Democratic Party,’ never of democrats.”
Liberals, socialists, trade unionists, independent journalists and intellectuals, many of whom were once important voices in our society, have been silenced or targeted for elimination within corporate-controlled academia, the media and government.
Wolin, who taught at Berkeley and later at Princeton, is arguably
the country’s foremost political philosopher. And yet his book was virtually ignored.
This is also why Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich and Cynthia McKinney, along with intellectuals like Noam Chomsky, are not given a part in our national discourse.
The uniformity of opinion is reinforced by the skillfully orchestrated
mass emotions of nationalism and patriotism, which paints all dissidents as “soft” or “unpatriotic.”
The “patriotic” citizen, plagued by fear of job losses and possible terrorist attacks, unfailingly supports widespread surveillance and the militarized state. This means no questioning of the $1 trillion
in defense-related spending.
It means that the military and intelligence agencies are held above government, as if somehow they are not part of government. The most powerful instruments of state power and control are effectively removed from public discussion.
We, as imperial citizens, are taught to be contemptuous of government bureaucracy, yet we stand like sheep before Homeland Security agents in airports and are mute when Congress permits our private correspondence and conversations to be monitored and archived.
We endure more state control than at any time in American history.
The civic, patriotic and political language we use to describe ourselves remains unchanged. We pay fealty to the same national symbols and iconography. We find our collective identity in the
same national myths. We continue to deify the Founding Fathers.
But the America we celebrate is an illusion. It does not exist.
Our government and judiciary have no real sovereignty. Our
press provides diversion, not information. Our organs of security
and power keep us as domesticated and as fearful as most Iraqis.
Capitalism, as Karl Marx understood, when it emasculates government, becomes a revolutionary force.
And this revolutionary force, best described as inverted totalitarianism, is plunging us into a state of neo-feudalism, perpetual war and severe repression.
The Supreme Court decision is part of our transformation by
the corporate state from citizens to prisoners.
Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent, writes
a column published every Monday on Truthdig. His latest book is “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.”
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/democracy_in_america
_is_a_useful_fiction_20100124/
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Dear Jon Letter
minneapolis craigslist > hennepin co > community
> local news and views please flag with care:
miscategorized
prohibited
spam/overpost
best of craigslist
A Dear Jon Letter
Date: 2010-09-05, 3:32PM CDT
Reply to: comm-eb5nz-1938137070@craigslist.org
Dear Jon: (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/devaan/)
Why do you and all of your evil little minions, down at implex.net, fmj law, sierra-bravo, and dark places elsewhere, keep flagging all
of our posts listed on Craigslist, in regards to Expotera:
flagged & removed: 1936986234 (local news and views) The Devil's Advocate(s) Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:17 AM
flagged & removed: 1937368755 (local news and views) The Law of Contradiction Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 9:08 AM
flagged & removed: 1937369605 (local news and views) The Law of Excluded Middle Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 10:14 AM
flagged & removed: 1936995216 (local news and views) David and Goliath Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Jon, you and your minions, have billions of dollars and the latest in state-of-the-art technology available to all of you, yet instead of putting up a Blog, similar to Expotera's, to try to counter all of our verifiable objective evidence, and easily proven arguments of guilt against all of you, Jon, you and your minions, just continue to flag
all of our posts, out on Craigslist?
Jon, I know, "The Truth Hurts" and in closing, "I have not sent you this letter because you have no knowledge of what is true, but because you have knowledge, and because that which is false has nothing in common with that which is true" because, "No Lie is of The Truth." 1 John 2:21
Sincerely,
Tony E. Whitcomb
Founder/CEO Expotera
Location: microsoft/implex.net
PostingID: 1938137070
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other
commercial interests
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/vnn/1938137070.html
> local news and views please flag with care:
miscategorized
prohibited
spam/overpost
best of craigslist
A Dear Jon Letter
Date: 2010-09-05, 3:32PM CDT
Reply to: comm-eb5nz-1938137070@craigslist.org
Dear Jon: (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/devaan/)
Why do you and all of your evil little minions, down at implex.net, fmj law, sierra-bravo, and dark places elsewhere, keep flagging all
of our posts listed on Craigslist, in regards to Expotera:
flagged & removed: 1936986234 (local news and views) The Devil's Advocate(s) Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:17 AM
flagged & removed: 1937368755 (local news and views) The Law of Contradiction Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 9:08 AM
flagged & removed: 1937369605 (local news and views) The Law of Excluded Middle Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 10:14 AM
flagged & removed: 1936995216 (local news and views) David and Goliath Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Jon, you and your minions, have billions of dollars and the latest in state-of-the-art technology available to all of you, yet instead of putting up a Blog, similar to Expotera's, to try to counter all of our verifiable objective evidence, and easily proven arguments of guilt against all of you, Jon, you and your minions, just continue to flag
all of our posts, out on Craigslist?
Jon, I know, "The Truth Hurts" and in closing, "I have not sent you this letter because you have no knowledge of what is true, but because you have knowledge, and because that which is false has nothing in common with that which is true" because, "No Lie is of The Truth." 1 John 2:21
Sincerely,
Tony E. Whitcomb
Founder/CEO Expotera
Location: microsoft/implex.net
PostingID: 1938137070
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other
commercial interests
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/vnn/1938137070.html
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
David and Goliath
David and Goliath - Bible Story Summary
By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide
Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 17
The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other, camped for battle on opposite sides of a steep valley.
A Philistine giant measuring over nine feet tall and wearing full armor came out each day for forty days, mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. His name was Goliath.
Saul, the King of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines by his father to bring back news of his brothers. David was probably just a young teenager at the time.
While there, David heard Goliath shouting his daily defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel.
David responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?"
So David volunteered to fight Goliath. It took some persuasion, but King Saul finally agreed to let David fight against the giant.
Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying his shepherd's staff, slingshot and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath.
The giant cursed at him, hurling threats and insults.
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied ... today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air ... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel ... it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and slung one of his stones at Goliath's head.
Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank into the giant's forehead and he fell face down on the ground. David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and then cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. So the Israelites pursued, chasing and killing them and plundering their camp.
Points of Interest from the David and Goliath Story:
Why did they wait forty days to begin the battle? Probably for several reasons. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. He seemed invincible. Not even King Saul, the tallest man in Israel, had stepped out to fight.
Also, the sides of the valley were very steep. Whoever made the
first move would have a strong disadvantage and probably suffer
great loss. Both sides were waiting for the other to attack first.
David chose not to wear the King's armor because it felt cumbersome and unfamiliar. David was comfortable with his simple slingshot, a weapon he was skilled at using.
God will use the unique skills he's already placed in your hands, so don't worry about "wearing the King's armor."
Just be yourself and use the familiar gifts and talents God has given you. He will work miracles through you.
David's faith in God caused him to look at the giant from a different perspective. Goliath was merely a mortal man defying an all-powerful God. David looked at the battle from God's point of view.
If we look at giant problems and impossible situations from God's perspective, we realize that God will fight for us and with us.
When we put things in proper perspective, we see more clearly and we can fight more effectively.
When the giant criticized, insulted and threatened, David didn't stop or even waver. Everyone else cowered in fear, but David ran to the battle. He knew that action needed to be taken.
David did the right thing in spite of discouraging insults and fearful threats. Only God's opinion mattered to David.
Questions for Reflection:
Are you facing a giant problem or impossible situation? Stop for a minute and refocus.
Can you see the situation more clearly from God's vantage point?
Do you need to take courageous action in the face of insults and fearful circumstances?
Do you trust that God will fight for you and with you?
Remember, God's opinion is the only one that matters.
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/david
andgoliath.htm
By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide
Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 17
The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other, camped for battle on opposite sides of a steep valley.
A Philistine giant measuring over nine feet tall and wearing full armor came out each day for forty days, mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. His name was Goliath.
Saul, the King of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines by his father to bring back news of his brothers. David was probably just a young teenager at the time.
While there, David heard Goliath shouting his daily defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel.
David responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?"
So David volunteered to fight Goliath. It took some persuasion, but King Saul finally agreed to let David fight against the giant.
Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying his shepherd's staff, slingshot and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath.
The giant cursed at him, hurling threats and insults.
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied ... today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air ... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel ... it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and slung one of his stones at Goliath's head.
Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank into the giant's forehead and he fell face down on the ground. David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and then cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. So the Israelites pursued, chasing and killing them and plundering their camp.
Points of Interest from the David and Goliath Story:
Why did they wait forty days to begin the battle? Probably for several reasons. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. He seemed invincible. Not even King Saul, the tallest man in Israel, had stepped out to fight.
Also, the sides of the valley were very steep. Whoever made the
first move would have a strong disadvantage and probably suffer
great loss. Both sides were waiting for the other to attack first.
David chose not to wear the King's armor because it felt cumbersome and unfamiliar. David was comfortable with his simple slingshot, a weapon he was skilled at using.
God will use the unique skills he's already placed in your hands, so don't worry about "wearing the King's armor."
Just be yourself and use the familiar gifts and talents God has given you. He will work miracles through you.
David's faith in God caused him to look at the giant from a different perspective. Goliath was merely a mortal man defying an all-powerful God. David looked at the battle from God's point of view.
If we look at giant problems and impossible situations from God's perspective, we realize that God will fight for us and with us.
When we put things in proper perspective, we see more clearly and we can fight more effectively.
When the giant criticized, insulted and threatened, David didn't stop or even waver. Everyone else cowered in fear, but David ran to the battle. He knew that action needed to be taken.
David did the right thing in spite of discouraging insults and fearful threats. Only God's opinion mattered to David.
Questions for Reflection:
Are you facing a giant problem or impossible situation? Stop for a minute and refocus.
Can you see the situation more clearly from God's vantage point?
Do you need to take courageous action in the face of insults and fearful circumstances?
Do you trust that God will fight for you and with you?
Remember, God's opinion is the only one that matters.
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/david
andgoliath.htm
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